


The Romance of Nobby

by bmlhillenkeene



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Genre: F/M, Nobby is insecure, even if they don't mean to be, the women of the watch are mean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-04-01 21:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4035790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmlhillenkeene/pseuds/bmlhillenkeene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nobby returned from the country side with Shine of the Rainbow at his side, but an unfortanate comment brings forward sme insecurities buried not so deep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Romance of Nobby

**Author's Note:**

> Because I love Nobby, and some of the things Angua and Sally were sayin in Thud made me angry. Nobby deserves some happiness, and I think Shine of the Rainbow might be just the ticket!

Nobby felt like his body had turned to stone, heavy and slow and painful. It was like that moment when a leap of faith becomes one of death and his body was brutaly smashed into the ground. Where the world had been so bright and rosy not two miniutes ago it had suddenly darkened. He knew, *knew* they hadn't meant it the way it sounded. Or rather, they had, but they expected him to just shrug it off, like he did every other slight against him.

Normally he would have, or at least given the impression he had. But this had struck a chord in him. Down deep in a part of him he tried so very hard not to show. In that part of him that had felt every blow if is fathers hand, every time his brother had turned his back, and everytime his dear sweet mum forgot he exsisted. In that part of him that knew, (but always hoped it wasn't the case), that love wasn't something for Nobby Nobbs.

Fred Colon, who had been standing next to him was frozen in agonised indecision, mouth half open, brow creased with the effort to come up with the words that would somehow stem the tide of... well, whatever was brewing. Nobby didn't lose his temper, the idea of it was laughable, he wasn't that kind of man, never had been, he rarely even raised his voice, and there was nothing at all dangerous about him. His skills lay in misdirections and flight, he didn't fight unless he had to, and even then only long enough to get someone in the fork and make off like a jackrabbit.

Something about his utter stillness must have sparked something, because the chuckling women were suddenly looking at him. The whole squadroom was looking at him. Cheery's face, sweet Cheery, who was always kind to him no matter what, looked devestated, she'd been defending him he knew, she always did. They were kindred souls in a sense, both trying to fit into a world that didn't quite know what to make of them. Angua seemed to realise the mistake she and Sally had made and opened her mouth to speak.

"Oh no," Nobby said, voice flat, so cold ice could have formed in the air. "Please, go on. I'm sure everyone wants to hear about how I'm so vile that not even a Goblin could want me."

"Nobby..." Cheery began, swallowing hard, face etched sadly.

Nobby ignored her, his eyes flicking between Angua and Sally. "I'm glad you avoided saying that I was the best she was going to get, because let's get one thing very clear right here and now. Shine of the Rainbow deserves more than me, a lot more than me. She deserves every single little thing she never got before, she deserves the best dresses, food, trinkets and flowers in the world. But for some reason I can't even start to guess at she decided that maybe I was worth something. I'm not. I know I'm not..." he trailed off for a moment, eyes flinty, hands curled into fists. "I know what you think of me, I know the very idea of me as something someone might find 'desireable' makes you skin crawl, I know all about your talks with Tawnee, all your tittering about my infatuation with Verity Pushpram. How I'm lower than the bottom rung of things you would scrape off your boots before you'd even consider looking at me." His voice cracked slightly, and his head jerked to the side away from them.

He took a deep, shaking breath, and the room was completely silent. His eyes closed, and with great effort he made himself back down. "I'm going on patrol." he said, tone clipped, and turned and left the building.

In the silence that followed Fred seemed to realise he should follow his young friend and with some jittery hand waving did just that.

"Well." Sam Vimes' voice rang out over the still room, there was a stony look on his face, one all of them knew and suddenly everyone as remembering patrols and disappearing out of the door. Leaving Angua and Sally standing by the main desk, Cheery having wisely made her exit down to the forensics lab and Igor.

"We didn't mean it that way." Angua protested, looking surprised and ashamed.

Vimes shook his head, reminding himself that for all their worldliness and age, these two were no more than children sometimes, like all the others. They didn't know about being the downtrodden, not like Sam Vimes did, and certaintly not like Nobby Nobbs did, about not knowing what way to look or what to do when the impossible finally happened. When someone looked at you and saw something worth loving, worth nuturing, worth raising up far above anything you have ever been, or ever dreamed you could be. "Let's just call it a day ladies, Ok? Nobby Nobbs and his personal relationships are off limits from now on."

Both nodded, and he knew that would be the last of it. Not a single person who had just seen Nobby today would breathe a word again, there had been an undercurrant of something in him, something brutal and deadly, something very close to snapping, and contrary to all belief it wouldn't be funny if it happened. Nobby was a survivor, Sam Vimes couldn't say the same for a lot of people.

~*@*~

Fred was panting by the time he caught up with Nobby, who seemed to be trying to put as much distance between himself and the yard as possible. When he did finally catch up, and Nobby slowed a little, they walked on in silence. Fred wasn't sure how to break it.

"Know what the worst thing is Fred?" Nobby asked him suddenly, ploughing on before Colon had the chance to muster an answer. "They're right. I mean... I'm kidding myself right? Thinking anything will come of this? She's a nice girl, really nice, and she doesn't deserve to be stuck with me. Right Fred?"

Fred Colon wasn't sure if Nobby wanted him to affirm or deny his questions, there was a defeated look in his eye though. Fred had taken scrawny teenage Nobby under his wing when he'd joined the watch, the boy not long returned from the same war he'd been a part off, snuck in too young to do much else but die, but Nobby had survived, and Fred had taken a shine to him, had tried to teach him right from wrong. He hadn't failed as such, just as he hadn't really suceeded.

"Now look here Nobby Nobbs!" he snapped suddenly, still fumbling a little for what he'd say next. "You know I'm not one for this 'romantical' stuff, but anyone with half a brain can see that you really like this girl, and anyone with no brain can see that she thinks the world shines out of you Nobby. I saw it meself when we was in the country, and it ain't changed since we got back. A man deserves to be happy..." he trailed off, absolutely sure he was saying the wrong thing and not sure how to get it back on track again. He wracked his brain to remember if he'd ever had a similar coversation with his son. He didn't think so.

"Look," he said at last with a sigh, "women say things sometimes, as far as they're concerned no man can ever be good enough for them. But... But that doesn't mean you don't *try* to be. If that makes sense."

Nobby huffed a sound that was cros between a sigh and a laugh. "No Fred. But thanks all the same."

They continued on in silence.

~*@*~

Cheery Littlebottom had a cup of tea ready for Nobby when he came back in, the main room of the yard was suspisiously empty aside from her, and Fred bustled past and into the canteen to fetch his own mug of tea, looking put out that some tea hadn't been waiting for him as well.

"I'm sorry." she said.

Nobby frowned at her. "What are you sorry for? You're the only person here, apart from Detritius, that I think hasn't ever said a bad word about me."

Cheery sighed. "It wasn't right, what was said, and I don't like that you think we think that."

Nobby gave her a crooked grin. "Your not thinking anything that's not true." he said, after all, he'd been hearing it his whole life, it must be true.

Cheery glared at him. "Nobby Nobbs, I happen to think that you are a very kind man! Not once since I started here did you think it was strange that I wore makeup, or skirts, you never batted an eyelid when I asked to be called 'she' instead of 'he'. You might not look like anyones ideal man, but underneath I think you have a heart of gold, and I think Shine of the Rainbow sees that as well!" she blushed. "Sorry."

Nobby drank his tea in silence, trying to hide his confusion. One thing no one had ever accused him of was being kind. Finally when he couldn't hide behind the mug anymore he mumbled. "Thanks."

Cheery drank her own tea and watched him. "I asked them not to say anything to you. I didn't think you'd want to face them again."

Nobby nodded and they drank in companable silence, joined by Fred Colon, and soon a number of other officers gathering to do their end of shift reports, Nobby made a halfhearted stab at his, but gave up when he felt the room descend into silence suddenly. There was a nervous rustling near the door, of a straw basket being shifted from hand to hand. He turned and felt his face crack into a smile, involentary.

Shine of the Rainbow stood in the doorway, looking around nervously, she didn't much like being the centre of attention by so many 'non goblins'. When her eyes met Nobby's she smiled in return, taking a few steps inside, holding out the basket slightly, like a shield almost. "Nobby home now?" she asked, her Ankh Morporkian still rusty, her eyes stayed on him and she deliberately didn't look at anyone else. Nobby couldn't help but feel a fisson of happiness that she was wearing the dress he had bought for her, a pretty flowery thing.

He pushed himself up and away from the desk and strode towards her. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do. He didn't deserve her, not really, and she would probably come to her senses sooner rather than later, but for now... for now she was his, and he would forever be hers. He took one of her hands and tugged her lightly towads the main desk, Shine of the Rainbow already knew Colon and nodded politely to him, so Nobby introduced her to Cheery and to the others in the room in general, eyes skipping over Angua who had entered the room.

Then, with her arm linked in his he left to go home with her. There was still doubt there, there always would be, you didn't grow up like Nobby Nobbs had without having it hammered in deep. He didn't deserve, but he could still hope right?

~*@*~

Shine of the Rainbow chattered happily as she and Breaking Wind (Nobby) walked through the city, he took her out of the shadows and alleyways she had made her way there by out into the middle of the road, where everyone could see them. She was in equal parts frightened and thrilled by this. She had spent her life living in the shadows, on the outskirts, overlooked (if she were lucky) or treated badly. She was a Goblin, she was used to such treatment, and she had been sure that in the city, amoungst his own again, the one she had come to care for would hustle her away from those he knew, hide her like a shameful secret.

She had been prepared for it.

Why she had gone to his place of work she did not know, but after a stressfull afternoon of shopping with the money he had pressed into her hands that morning, where she had faced off against merchants who looked down at her, she had needed to see a friendly face. She had seem more than one as he had whisked her around his workplace, each of them had nodded and spoke to her kindly, wishing her well. And now they walked in the middle of the street, as visable and important as anyone else.

She pressed herself closer to his side, smiling, basket clutched in her hand, continuing to speak to him of her day, he did not understand most of what she said, but he was learning, and really, it didn't matter that he couldn't understand the words, she knew that he understood her anyway and that was all that mattered. They would go home now and she would cook for him, and later he would take her into his arms, as he always did and they would lay together in contentment, and she would never be happier.


End file.
